Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Earl Attlee: To ask His Majesty's Government which Government department leads on ensuring that the government of Ukraine and its armed forces have all the armoured fighting vehicles that are required whilst not compromising the overall defence and security needs of the UK.

Baroness Goldie: Via the Ministry of Defence, the UK has gifted over 300 armoured vehicles, both from its own inventory and from other sources internationally. Vehicles gifted from the UK have been assessed to cause tolerable risk to readiness in the short term and will not result in any longer-term capability gaps.

RAF Scampton

Earl Attlee: To ask His Majesty's Government who owns the former RAF Scampton airbase.

Baroness Goldie: RAF Scampton is currently owned by the Ministry of Defence pending disposal.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sudan: Repatriation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto their response to the Foreign Affairs Committee report, Missing In Action: UK Leadership And The Withdrawal From Afghanistan, published on 18th July 2022, what ‘fundamental lessons’ they agreed they needed ‘to learn and to act on’ from the experience of UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the events which followed it have been applied to the evacuation of British citizens and diplomats from Sudan in April 2023.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following the Afghanistan response in August 2021, the FCDO conducted a lessons learning exercise, as is standard practice after a crisis. It focused on the FCDO crisis response systems, structures and ways of working. The FCDO is implementing the recommendations. The Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) conducted a detailed enquiry, to which the then Foreign Secretary and I gave oral evidence and responded to requests for written information on the evacuation. A summary of the lessons learned was shared with the FAC in March 2022. The FAC published the Government's response to the FAC's report in July 2022. The FCDO Management Board reviewed progress in January and an update was shared with the FAC on 8 February. Those lessons learned have been applied to subsequent crisis responses on Russia/Ukraine, the Turkey and Syria earthquake and Sudan.

China: Hong Kong

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss theinternational treaty obligations for Hong Kong, contained in the 1984 Sino-British Declaration, and China's obligations in that treaty with the Vice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss (1) the imprisonment of 1,400 political prisoners in Hong Kong, (2) the imprisonment of British citizen, Jimmy Lai, and (3) reported breaches of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights relating to media freedom in Hong Kong, with theVice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss the motion passed in the House of Commons on 22 April that declared events in Xinjiang against Uyghur Muslims to be a genocide with the Vice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss (1) reports that Uyghur Muslims were banned from offering Eid prayers at mosques or in their homes during Eid al-Fitr, and (2) the reported persecution of people with religious beliefs, including Falun Gong, Buddhists and Christians in China, with the Vice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discussthe continuing threats to the freedom of the people of Taiwan and, in particular, their right to democracy and self-determination, with the Vice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss UK prohibitions on the purchase of goods made in China by slave labour with the Vice-President of China, Han Zheng, during his visit to London for the Coronation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on 5 May and set out the UK's views on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Government's approach is to engage constructively with China while steadfastly defending our national security and our values. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with China. Similarly, we will continue to use our channels with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to make clear our strong opposition to the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, the deliberate targeting of opposition voices and China's ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion.

Tanzania: LGBT+ People

Baroness Mobarik: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of (1) torture, (2) mistreatment, and (3) disappearances, of LGBT individuals in Tanzania; and what steps they are taking in response.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The rights of LGBT+ individuals in Tanzania are coming under increasing pressure. The UK Government is clear that there needs to be an end to violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people in Tanzania and around the world. The British High Commission in Dar es Salaam is in regular contact with the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to ensure we have a full understanding of the situation. Mindful that overt western interventions can exacerbate the situation, our responses are always informed by the LGBT+ community's perspective on what will best assure their safety.

Official Visits: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the policing costs for(1) the visit by President Biden toNorthern Ireland, and (2) the Agreement 25 Conference at Queen’s University, Belfast; and whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland will be reimbursed.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: President Biden visited the UK as a Guest of Government. It is long-standing policy not to comment on protective security arrangements. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

Cyprus: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current state of relations betweenGreek and Turkish Cypriots; and whether they, together with international partners, have new proposals to help to broker confidence-building measures on trade and travel between the two parties, particularly in view of the forthcoming elections in both Greece and Türkiye.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain committed to supporting UN efforts to reach a just and lasting Cyprus settlement within the UN parameters based on the model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality and we engage all parties on this. Whilst there remain differences between the parties' positions, we believe that sufficient common ground to start formal negotiations can be found. Ultimately, it is for the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to decide on the details of a settlement and any interim confidence building measures. The UK, as a Guarantor Power, remains committed to supporting a return to Settlement negotiations.

Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government when they first became aware that the situation in Sudan had deteriorated to the point that the safety of British citizens was at risk and that they would need assistance to evacuate.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government has consistently followed political developments in Sudan and initiated a coordinated, cross-government response as soon as violence broke out on 15 April. On 20 April, we launched a "Register Your Presence" service for British nationals and UK passport holders in Sudan. As of 4 May we have evacuated 2,450 people from Sudan - by far the longest and largest operation of any Western nation.

Home Office

Home Office: Staff

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 1 June 2018 (HL7992), how many members of Home Office staff have been convicted in connection with their official activities since 1 June 2018; and in each case, what was (1) the date, (2) the nature of the offence, and (3) the sentence received.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Since 1 June 2018 the Home Office has secured two convictions and two cautions of staff in connection with their official activities. All the officers were subject to appropriate disciplinary procedures.The following table below shows the breakdown including the dates of those convictions.ChargesConviction DateSentenceBribery11/04/20193 years, 9 monthsComputer Misuse17/06/2022Police CautionConspiracy to Assist Unlawful Immigration03/04/2023Awaiting sentenceComputer Misuse26/04/2023Police Caution

Crime: Undocumented Migrants

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, for eachpolice force in each of the last two years, how many crimes were committed by people who arrived by small boat crossings; and for each police force, what percentage of total crimes committed that figure represents.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThe Home Office does not hold information on perpetrators of crime who have arrived by small boat crossings.

Immigration: Sponsorship

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the case for adopting systems similar to (1) Humanitarian Parole, and (2) the Welcome Corps, used in the USA, in the UK.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The UK has an approach in place to support individuals who do not meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules but where there are exceptional and compassionate reasons for allowing them to remain here. Discretionary Leave allows an individual to be granted leave outside the Immigration Rules if they do not qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection, or due to exceptional circumstances relating to their family or private life.The UK already operates two sponsorship schemes which share similarities with the United States’ Welcome Corps initiative. The first is the Community Sponsorship Scheme, launched in 2016, which enables civil society to directly support refugees resettled to the UK through identifying housing and providing integration support. This scheme provides sanctuary to refugees identified and referred by UNHCR for resettlement directly from regions of conflict and instability.The second is Homes for Ukraine, which launched last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor in the UK who is willing to accommodate them for a minimum of six months.

Asylum: Children

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government which police forces they have had discussions within the last six months with regard to unaccompanied children seeking asylum that go missing from Home Office-commissioned hotels; and what evidence the police forces have indicated with regard to any of those unaccompanied children being forced into county lines drug activity and organised criminal gangs.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office takes the wellbeing, welfare and security of children and minors in our care extremely seriously. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with local authorities.We are in contact with police forces in the regions where the unaccompanied children are being housed including as part of multi-agency forums in the event that a child does go missing.Information about children after they have been found is held by the encountering police forces. When a young person who has previously gone missing from a hotel housing unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) is encountered or located we engage with statutory partners, including the police who will identify whether there are any concerns regarding possible trafficking; exploitation or other potential criminal activities that may require investigation.

Department for Education

Headteachers: Recruitment

Lord Triesman: To ask His Majesty's Government, how many virtual school heads have been appointed to provide for previously looked after children in England pursuant to the Children and Social Work Act 2017; in which locations any such appointments were made; how the impact of these appointments are assessed; and what assessment they have made of the impact these appointments have had on the educational achievement of children in England.

Baroness Barran: The department does not hold information on the number of Virtual School Heads (VSHs) in post. However, all local authorities in England with responsibilities for children’s social care must appoint at least one person to this post.The appointment of a VSH for previously looked-after children is a statutory requirement under Section 23ZZA of the Children Act 1989 (inserted by the Children and Families Act 2017).The Children in Need Review recognised the impact that VSHs have in raising aspiration and promoting educational achievement of looked-after and previously looked-after children, recommending that their role is further extended to cover all children with a social worker. The Timpson Review of School Exclusion also found ‘good evidence that VSHs are effective in supporting schools’.

Islam

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the paper published by theCommission for Countering Extremism in October 2019 entitledMainstream Islamism in Britain: educating for the Islamic Revival.

Baroness Barran: The department acknowledges the report published by the Commission for Countering Extremism in 2019. This report raises several issues related to integration, extremism, and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).The department is clear that education plays a vital role in promoting integration and ensuring children and young people are prepared for life in modern Britain, including through learning about the values that underpin and unite our society. All schools have specific duties to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils and to prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life. Schools are required to promote the fundamental British values (FBVs) of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.The department is committed to keeping children safe from extremism and has taken strong action to prevent extremism from gaining a foothold in our schools across the country, including:guidance on the promotion of FBVs so that schools have a clear understanding of what is required and how best to practically deliver these.powers to take action against individual teachers or governors who act in a way which undermines FBVs.working with Ofsted to strengthen their inspection frameworks, requiring inspectors to assess how well schools protect pupils from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and how they promote FBVs.providing additional resources to Ofsted to inspect suspected unregistered independent schools.a counter-extremism helpline and online referral form to ensure those working in the sector and the public can report extremism concerns directly to the department to be investigated where appropriate.our Educate Against Hate website providing advice, support, and resources for parents, teachers, and school leaders to help them protect young people from extremism and radicalisation.Since 2020, relationships and health education has been compulsory in all primary schools, and relationships, sex and health education has been compulsory in all secondary schools. The department set out the topics that schools should teach about in RSHE statutory guidance, which is clear that schools are responsible for what they teach and should ensure that all content is factual, age appropriate and politically impartial, particularly when using materials produced by external organisations. When teaching, schools should take into account the age of pupils and their religious and cultural background. The department’s statutory guidance on RSHE is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The department continues to keep this area under close review. On 8 March, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced that the department has started a review of the guidance. This will cover the full scope of the statutory guidance, and we will be working closely with our stakeholders and experts to draw on the best available evidence about high quality RSHE which meets the needs of young people.

Arabic and Religion: Education

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of any effect arising from funding from Qatar Foundation International on the teaching of religious education and Arabic in UK schools.

Baroness Barran: The department does not receive any funding from Qatar Foundation International (QFI) for curriculum programmes that support the teaching of religious education (RE) or Arabic in schools in England. Therefore, no assessment has been made on the potential effects of this.

Arts: Education

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government when the (1) Expert Advisory Panel, and (2) Terms of Reference, for the Cultural Education Plan will be announced.

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Barran on 26 April (HL Deb cols 1208–11), whether (1) the National Curriculum, and (2) accountability measures, will be in scope of the Cultural Education Plan.

Baroness Barran: More details on the Cultural Education Plan will be published shortly, including the Expert Advisory Panel and the Terms of Reference for their work. The Government has already implemented significant reforms to raise expectations in terms of what all pupils are taught and how schools are held accountable, and we do not plan to make further changes to the National Curriculum or performance measures in this Parliament. We value the work of teachers and schools in responding to these changes and as such these matters are out of scope of this Plan.The Cultural Education Plan will highlight the importance of a high quality cultural education and the important role that wider cultural institutions can play by working with schools.

Schools: Birmingham

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whatlessons they learnt from the events that followedreports into allegations concerning Birmingham schools arising from the 'Trojan Horse' letter from 2014; and what steps they are taking to prevent any risk to schools elsewhere.

Baroness Barran: The government is clear that there is no place for extremism in our schools, and the department is committed to ensuring that children and young people are safe from both extremism and radicalisation.Following the recommendations contained in Peter Clarke’s report into the allegations arising from the ‘Trojan Horse’ letter, the department took strong action, including:Producing guidance on the promotion of fundamental British values (FBV’s) so that schools have a clear understanding of what is required and how best to practically deliver these.Introducing powers to take action against individual teachers or governors who act in a way that undermines FBV’s.Setting-up a counter-extremism helpline and online referral form to ensure those working in the sector and the public can report extremism concerns directly to the department to be investigated where appropriate.Building a network of regionally based Education Prevent Officers and Department for Education Prevent Coordinators who support education settings to deliver their Prevent and counter-extremism responsibilities.Creating the department’s ‘Educate Against Hate’ website which provides advice, support, and resources for parents, teachers, and school leaders to help them protect young people from extremism and radicalisation. The department keeps its work under regular review to ensure we continue to provide effective support to the sector to prevent extremism and intolerance from gaining a foothold in our schools.

Children: Medical Records

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government why theNHS number has been a mandatory consistent identifier for adults across health and adult social care since 2015 but no such identifier has been established across health and social care and protection services for children.

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in discussions between the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Education regarding the preparing of a report regarding the benefits and implementation of a consistent child identifier, as proposed under section 179 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022; and when such a report will be published.

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposedreport on a consistent child identifier (CCI) as provided under section 179 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 will ensure that a CCI relates to both (1) children’s health and social care, and (2) the safeguarding and welfare of children; and if not, why not.

Baroness Barran: In response to the Health and Social Care Act 2015, the department commissioned Ivana La Valle to conduct a research report into extending the duties of the NHS number as a unique identifier from adult social care to children’s social care. The findings concluded that while there was general support for using the NHS number as a unique identifier, there was limited evidence on how this could be achieved or whether it would be possible. The government therefore supported the voluntary use of the NHS number where the local authority and health agencies decide that this is an effective way for them to share information. In 2021, as the Bill for the Health and Care Act 2022 progressed through Parliament, the debate on the need for and feasibility of introducing a consistent identifier was revisited, resulting in the government's commitment to explore the issue further in this report. Consequently, the government will report in July 2023 on government policy on the use of a consistent child identifier for children.The department is leading a cross-government programme to meet the legislative commitment in the Health and Social Care Act 2022. A cross-government steering group, including officials from the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office, have overseen the programme. The programme has also reported into the Child Protection Ministerial Group. The programme has undertaken targeted research with frontline practitioners across agencies, including health, police, schools and social care, and analysed current systems and good practice. The findings of the research and analysis will be included in a report laid before Parliament in July on the government policy on information sharing, including policy related to a consistent child identifier for children.The focus of the research responding to the commitment in the Health and Social Care Act 2022 has been on how to improve information sharing between agencies for child safeguarding and promotion of welfare purposes. However, current and future policy recommendations may have wider reach across children’s health and social care. The government will report in July on its policy on information sharing, including policy related to a consistent child identifier for children.

Schools: Bible and Koran

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the National Curriculum, and (2) other guidance provided to schools, requires that copies of the Koran and the Bible should receive equal respect; and if not, what plans they have to ensure that they are treated equally.

Baroness Barran: Every school should actively promote mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Amongst other criteria, Ofsted will inspect pupils’ knowledge of, and respect for, different people's faiths, feelings, and values.All schools must offer a broad and balanced curriculum, which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of pupils.In response to recent incidents, the government has been repeatedly clear that there is no blasphemy law in Great Britain. The department has no plans to give specific guidance on the respect that should be shown to specific religious texts. However, the Home Office is drafting guidance on blasphemy incidents, which the department will support with as needed.

Treasury

Food: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Office for National Statistics that inflation for food and non-alcoholic drinks is at the highest level in 45 years, having risen by over 19 per cent in the year to March; and what steps they are taking in response to that finding.

Baroness Penn: The UK, like many other economies, currently faces global pressures on food prices. We recognise that food inflation is causing pressure to families across the country, which is why it is essential that we stick to the plan to halve inflation this year. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s March Economic and Fiscal Outlook forecasts that inflation in food, beverages and tobacco will fall to 6.9% by the end of 2023. We are helping the most vulnerable, who are the worst affected by rising food prices, by providing cost-of-living support worth an average of £3300 per household over this year and last.

Cabinet Office

Muslim Engagement and Development

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of any effect on free speechof the training delivered by Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) in the workplace training of public sector bodies and charities.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Through the Government Campus Curriculum, including the learning framework contracts, the Cabinet Office enables all civil servants to develop the right skills, both to deliver the Government’s current priorities and to tackle future challenges.Training provided by the Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) is not part of the curriculum. MEND is not a supplier on the learning framework contracts and we have no central records of MEND providing any training within the civil service. We do not monitor training provided to the wider public and charities sectors.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medicine: Students

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support innovation to improve the provision of clinical placements for medical students.

Lord Markham: In March 2023 Health Education England published the Educator Workforce Strategy. This sets out actions to ensure sufficient capacity and quality of educators, and to enable innovative models of education, including for clinical placements, to support the growth in the healthcare workforce, including doctors. NHS England will develop an implementation plan for the strategy.

Medicine: Higher Education

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the projected (1) short-term, and (2) medium-term, costs to public funds of expanding the number of undergraduate medical places from the current level to (a) 9,000 and (b) 10,000 places.

Lord Markham: No specific estimate has been made of the projected short or medium-term costs to public funds of expanding the number of undergraduate medical places from the current level to 9,000 or 10,000 places. The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a long term workforce plan which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, taking account of improvements in retention and productivity. This Plan is due to be published shortly.

NHS: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government whatwork they are undertaking in understanding and planning for the impact of artificial intelligence in all National Health Service clinical settings over the medium term.

Lord Markham: The Department has been focusing on demonstrating the potential artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which could have a significant impact on the National Health Service. It has provided £123 million to 86 AI technologies, through the AI in Health and Care award. These technologies could support clinicians in stroke diagnosis, cancer screening and managing conditions at home.The Department is also advancing regulation to ensure AI is safe, effective and addresses concerns about bias. Funding has been provided to the Health Foundation to research racialised impact of algorithms in health and care. The Department is funding the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Health Research Authority, Care Quality Commission and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop an AI and Digital regulations service. This will help to create a streamlined regulatory pathway, which will lead to safer and more effective development and adoption of data-driven technologies.

Health Services: Chronic Illnesses

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government how the Major Conditions Strategy will promote the importance of integrated physical and mental health treatment for people with long-term conditions such as diabetes and Parkinson's Disease.

Lord Markham: The Major Conditions Strategy will tackle groups of conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including cancers, cardiovascular disease including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions. Dementia, rather than other neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, has been identified because it is the leading cause of death in women and the second biggest cause of death for men.

NHS: Staff

Baroness Gale: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures the NHS workforce plan will include to support a sustainable NHS mental health workforce in England.

Lord Markham: To support the workforce as a whole we have commissioned NHS England to develop a Long Term Workforce Plan, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years. The Plan is for the whole of the National Health Service workforce, including mental health; however, it will not provide detailed workforce assessments for individual services or staff groups.The mental health workforce has grown. Latest data shows that as of December 2022 there has been an increase of over 8,900, 6.9%, full-time equivalent staff compared to December 2021. This includes only those people who work directly on mental health, across NHS trusts and integrated care boards in England.

Medicine: Higher Education

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the provision of private sector funding to enable the expansion of (1) undergraduate, and (2) graduate, places in (a) medicine, (b) biomedical and related sciences, and (c) dentistry.

Lord Markham: Higher education providers have autonomy to seek and accept finance from the private and charitable sectors to support and extend their academic offer and support students. For courses where placements are not capped, including biomedical and related sciences, any private financing may be used to expand courses.For capped undergraduate and graduate entry courses, including medicine and dentistry, the Government has expanded the number of places. We have funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England, a 25% increase, taking the total number of medical school training places in England to 7,500 each year. The Government also lifted the dental cap for students who completed A-Levels in 2020 and in 2021 and who had an offer from a university in England to study dentistry, subject to their grades.

Health Services: Older People

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint statement made by various organisations on 21 March which called for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing for England; and what plans they have to meet with representatives of the relevant organisations.

Lord Markham: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment as the needs of older people and healthy ageing are covered by the NHS Health Check and an ambitious prevention agenda to reduce individuals’ risk of ill health later in life.We continue to engage a wide range of organisations on healthy ageing and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is taking targeted actions to tackle the most common preventable diseases, improving access and uptake of prevention services, and embedding prevention across health and care. For example, encouraging people in mid-life to stop smoking, reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their diet to help reduce the risk of developing dementia, disability and frailty in later life.Finally, the Government recently announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy which will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. The Strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England: cancers; cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; dementia; mental ill health; and musculoskeletal conditions. An interim report will be published in the summer.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Subsidies

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of subsidies to households and businesses of energy bills for (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022.

Lord Callanan: The Government has taken decisive action to support households and businesses with energy bills. The Warm Home Discount Scheme has provided £140-150 off winter electricity bills for eligible households, costing around £350 million per year over 2018/19 to 2021/22 rising to £520 million in 2022/23, funded from domestic electricity bills. Energy Intensive Industries have benefited from exemptions and compensation worth £2.2 billion in total between 2018 and 2022, reducing their electricity costs. Additional support has been provided in response to the rise in energy prices with £1.6 billion of support provided to businesses and £12.7 billion to households over October-December 2022.

Carbon Emissions: British Overseas Territories

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherclimate change emissions from British Overseas Territories are part of the UK's total accounting for emissions and included in the Net Zero by 2050 target; and what (1) organisational structures, and (2) staffing levels, they have in place to work with those Overseas Territories to reduce emissions.

Lord Callanan: Only emissions from the UK territory are in scope of domestic Carbon Budgets and the Net Zero target, in accordance with Section 89 of the Climate Change Act 2008. Emissions from UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories (CDOTS) are not included. The UK’s ratification of the Paris Agreement, including its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), is being extended to include CDOTS. To date, the Paris Agreement, and the NDC, have been extended to the Crown Dependencies of Jersey and the Isle of Man and the Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The UK Government will meet with CDOTS to discuss progress against the NDC.

Climate Change: Environment Protection

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to take, together with international partners, to address climate change in light of reports based on the Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI), that heat is now accumulating at a faster rate, causing the temperature of oceans to rise to record levels; and (2) whether this will include ‘concerted international efforts for climate change monitoring and community-based recommendations’ and ‘urgently needed actions for enabling continuity, archiving, rescuing, and calibrating efforts to assure improved and long-term monitoring capacity of the global climate observing system’ as called for by the study, Heat Stored In The Earth System 1960–2020: Where Does The Energy Go?

Lord Callanan: The UK is driving global climate ambition through its leadership in multilateral forums, including the UN COP process, G7 and G20 forums, as well as through its International Climate Finance commitments and diplomatic networks. The UK supports and contributes to the WMO’s Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) which assesses the status of global climate observations and participates in the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to improve the availability, access, and use of Earth observations.

Department for Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people who have found work through the Access to Work scheme are in (1) full-time, and (2) part-time, employment.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The information requested on the number of people who have found work through the Access to Work scheme is not available. Access to Work does not provide support to find jobs. It is a grant that provides individuals with funding for support and adaptations beyond reasonable adjustments to retain employment. To receive Access to Work support, applicants must be employed, self-employed, about to start work, participating in a supported internship/traineeship, taking part in work experience/work trial, or require communication support at interview.​

Access to Work Programme

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people have secured jobs through the Access to Work scheme.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The information requested about the number of disabled people who have secured jobs through Access to Work is not available. Access to Work does not provide support to find jobs. It is a grant that provides individuals with funding for support and adaptations beyond reasonable adjustments to retain employment. To receive Access to Work support, applicants must be employed, self-employed, about to start work, participating in a supported internship/traineeship, taking part in work experience/work trial, or require communication support at interview. Information on how many individuals receive Access to Work support is in table 6 of the Access to Work Official Statistics. The latest Access to Work statistics can be found here:Access to Work statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Access to Work Programme

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with charities supporting disabled people about the operation of the Access to Work scheme.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: DWP regularly attends Access to Work national stakeholder forums with charities and disabled people’s organisations from across England, Scotland and Wales to discuss Access to Work.

Access to Work Programme

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government how many businesses and companies in (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales, have received support from the Access to Work scheme to employ disabled people.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Access to Work applications are made by employees or self-employed individuals. The scheme provides grants to fund support for those individuals. Table 8 of the Access to Work Official Statistics includes the number of people who received Access to Work provision from 2009/10 to 2021/22 by region. The latest Access to Work statistics can be found here:Access to Work statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Department for Business and Trade

Hospitality Industry: Vacancies

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address staff shortages in the hospitality sector.

The Earl of Minto: The Government is working with the Hospitality Sector Council to promote careers in hospitality and enhance training opportunities.We are also helping to fill vacancies through our Plan for Jobs programmes, which use work coaches to help match local talent with jobs in hospitality. Our sector-based work academy programme and flexible support fund, and various initiatives, are also encouraging jobseekers to look for opportunities in the sector. In addition, on 1 April 2023, the Government increased the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42.The Government is also supporting six Private Member’s Bills which will improve workers’ rights and encourage more people into work. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act has now achieved Royal Assent meaning more than 2 million workers will have their tips protected when the measures come into force. This package of Bills will help new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and give employees better access to flexible working.The Government is continuing to improve apprenticeships, making them more flexible and making it easier for employers to make greater use of their levy funds. The catering and hospitality sector serves up a host of different apprenticeships in restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, nightclubs and hotels, including for example chef de partie.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Private Members' Bills

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how manyPrivate Members’ Bills introduced in the House of Lords in each of the past five sessions completed all their stages in the Lords and were sent to the Commons.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The figures for Private Members’ Bills that started in the House of Lords and reached the House of Commons are set out below. Figures are provided from the 2016–17 session up to and including the present session to date.Session2016-172017-192019-192019-212021-222022-to datePMBs introduced in the Lords517440864542Lords-starting PMBs reaching the Commons511 (1 Bill received Royal Assent - Children Act 1989 (Amendment) (Female Genital Mutilation) Bill)00107 (1 Bill received Royal Assent – the Ballot Secrecy Bill)